In the early 1980s, Davis acted in a few television shows before getting her first publishing deal. In 1986, she published her first novel, Home Front. She used elements of her own life to create a fictional story, and because of that the book became controversial and she was widely criticized. Following her second novel Deadfall, she wrote an autobiography called The Way I See It, in which she revealed many family dramas and secrets. She has since spoken publicly about her regrets over writing that book.[4]

Davis posed for Playboy magazine with a "Full Frontal" view, in the July 1994 issue. This issue of the magazine also displays Davis on the cover. This particular issue is considered to be one of the magazine's most controversial covers. Davis has posed for other magazines such as More in 2011.[5][6]